Moving away from your family home and into a place of your own brings its own set of complications along with the excitement.

While it’s great to be striking out on your own, suddenly you’re thrown into a whole new world and it can be difficult to know the best way to go about things.

If you’ve never lived away from home before, then you have quite a few options, and where you decide to live will depend on your finances and your lifestyle. First and foremost, you need to be able to afford your new place. Everyone would love to live in a mansion, but it’s just not realistic to expect your first home to be too plush. Of course, you don’t need to settle for just anything, but you need to be practical. Set yourself a budget for rent and check how much bills are likely to be. Don’t forget to factor in food shopping too. Once you’ve established how much you can afford, you can start looking at some suitable properties.

Most people start by renting. Ideally, you’d be able to buy, but unless you’re lucky enough to have a deposit saved, you’re most likely to have a landlord in the first instance. Think about the type of lifestyle you have. Are you quiet? Perhaps you need to study or work in the evenings, so do you need your own space? Or are you more of a social animal, preferring to be around people? If you’re the former, then you would be better with your own place, if you can possibly afford it, or you could look for a flat share option. Another alternative is to lodge, either with a couple or another person your own age. You’ll probably prefer this to a noisy house share. If you like having people around, though, a house share can be the perfect way to ease yourself into living away. You’ll be with likeminded people, have a ready-made social life and have people to split the bills with.

The location you end up in will probably be dictated by your finances. And you have to be realistic. A beautiful loft apartment in the city centre might be your dream, but unless you’re earning a lot you may need to consider a flat share on the edge of town.

Taking the first step into independent living is a big deal. But if you’re careful with the costs, then it can also be the start of a fantastic new life.

Keywest have lots of experience in assisting people find the right home for their needs. If you’d like to discuss your options, call today on 0116 254 4555, and one of team will be delighted to help.